Cellular Scam At Taxpayers' Expense
Friday 13 Aug 2004
Deborah Coddington - Press Releases - Education
Only an irresponsible Minister, from a financially irresponsible Government, could believe that dishing out free cell
phones to Open Polytechnic students is a sensible use of taxpayer money, ACT New Zealand Education Spokesman Deborah
Coddington said today.
"Today I revealed that up to 12,000 correspondence students, enrolled in the Polytech's $23 million `Lifeworks' course,
each received a free cell phone - courtesy of the Kiwi taxpayer," Miss Coddington said.
"Taxpayers will be angry that they are, not only paying for a free course with questionable outcomes but also, forking
out their hard-earned dollars on cell phones that may or may not be used for the purpose intended.
"Mr Maharey appears to be more interested in putting more bums on seats by offering inducements - like cell phones -
for people to enrol in airy fairy, feel good courses, that allow him to boast how many people are participating in
tertiary education, than providing them with a quality education that leads to a job upon completion of the course.
"Spending millions on such courses and free cell phones, in addition to the Tertiary Education Commission's findings
last week that the Christchurch Polytech offered inducements to students to enrol in a computer course, highlights Mr
Maharey's poor handling of his portfolio.
"The Minister is treating hard-working taxpayers with contempt. He is wasting their money, driving our tertiary
education sector into the ground and making it a laughing stock. Mr Maharey should stop hiding behind the polytechs and
take some responsibility - a good start would be for him to resign," Miss Coddington said.
ENDS